Shoe-cleaning machine with reciprocating cleaning elements



March 14, 1950 P. DRAKE 2,500,530

. sEoE CLEANING MACHINE WITH RECIPRCCATING CLEANING ELEMENTS Filed Feb. 2o, 194e s sheets-sheet 1 nwwmsm j Nu ,l I N mmm P. SHOE CLEANING MACHINE WITH RECIPROCATING L. DRAKE March 14, 1950 CLEANING ELEMENTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 20, 194

By @am March 14, 1950 l P. DRAKE sHoE CLEANING MACHINE WITH REcIPRocATING CLEANING ELEMENTS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 20, 1946 I ETELL W wh. www; 1f Mlm Patented Mar. 14,` 1950 'UNirsfo PATENT@ OFFICE i 'S'HELCDEAN'I'NG 'MACHINE WITH RECIP- RUGTING IN ELEMENTS BercellkL. Drake, Detroit, Mich.

Application February 20, 1946, SeriaLNo. 548,872

(Cl. 'I5-4l y rfi-Claims .1

This invention relates tomprovementstin shoe cleaners, 'and moretxpariicularly to a shoe cleaner which will be positioned at the entry of a house or oice, where'byfia person with "snow or mud onhis shoes may `clean them before .entering the 'house or oilice. f

An object of the invention is 'to provide an improved shoe-:cleaning ldevice which will include an outer casing or pan forV `collecting the mud or snow .asA .itis removed from the shoes, and a pirated? shoe. scraper and 'wiper .for cleaning the -soles :of the shoes, together with a brush .for brushingvthe uppers of the shoes..

vAnother object of the invention is to provide yimproved manually operated shoe cleaner, which will be highly eilicien't inwoperation. and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and. produce.

Other objects willv appear as the description proceeds.

in the accorripanying'v drawingsfwhic'h i tor-m a part o'itnisapplication,

'Figure 11is a side elevati-'on `'ci'- the improved shoe cleaner showing-a shoe in position thereon;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the improved shoe cleaner;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3- of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the shoe cleaner device in inoperative position;

Figure 5 is a partial sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of Figure 4.

Like characters of reference are used'throughout the following specification andv the accompanying drawings to designate corresponding parts.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided an outer receptacle I which is substantially rectangular in shape and is provided at its open upper edge with the laterally extending ange 2.

Positioned within the receptacle I is the supporting frame formed with the oppositely disposed side frame members 2 and 3, the same having laterally extending flanges 4 and 5 at the upper and lower edges, respectively. An end member 6 is connected between the adjacent ends of the side frame members 2 and 3.

An inverted U-shaped shoe support 'I is iixed to the opposite side frame members 2 and 3 by the rivets or fasteners 8, at a point adjacent one end of said frame members, and is adapted "tosupport 'the arch portion of va shoe, aslshown `in Figure '1 of the drawings.

A sud-able cleaner rra-me comprises `the 'two side members 9 I"and II), landa 'connecting end member -l I. jCross shafts I2 'and I3 aresecured between the 'sidemembers f9 and I0 Jadjacent their' opposite ends, and' support the rollers E'Ill 'and I5, which are adapted vto roll ion the 'upper ilanges f4 -on the side :ir-ame -members v12 and' 53", thus-#supporting V'the slidaible cleaner -f-rarne fon and .above the supporting frame 'positioned` 'in `the .receptacle I. f

The inverted U-rsliape'd metal shoe solerscraper IS is mounted at an angle between the sid'e lmentebers .wandy I0 of-the cleaner iframe, and .is used to scrape the mud or snow .from 'a shoe sole;

Theinverted Uesha'ped shoe sole wiperv ITis mount-ed at an angle between the side members yil and I0 of the cleaner frame at -a point adjacent the sole. scraper I5., and 4comprises the rubber .strips I8 and. sI9, mounted between fthe -me'tala back-ing strips. -20 andl ZTL-.and detachably supported on the wiper I1 by means of the bolt 22 and nut 23.

A brush member 24 is mounted between the side members 9 and I0 of the cleaner frame at a point near the scraper I6 but on the opposite side iromthe wiper I 1. The brush member 24 is of inverted U-shape and includes the depending brush 25 supported between the body member 24 and a backing plate 26, and held in position by means of the screws 21, in such a manner that the shoe upper may be brushed when lthe brush member 2li` secured between the side members 9 and Ill of the cleaner framel is reciprocated back and forth with said cleaner frame.

The bearing rod 28 is mounted between the side frame members 2 and 3 and extends laterally thereof at one end to pivotally support the operating link 29. A second operating link 30 is pivotally supported on the end of the cross shaft handle 32.

I3, and extends upwardly to meet the upper end of the link 29, and to be connected thereto and to the lower end of the shank 3l of the operating A vertically extending slot 33 is formed in the shank 3| and slidably receives the pin 34 to which are connected the depending con-` ping on the shoe support 1, and then grasping the operating handle 32 and vertically reciprocating the same, the mud or snow beingr scraped from the shoe sole to drop in the receptacle I, after which the Wiper I1 will Wipe the shoe sole dry, and-the toe of the shoe will be brushed off as the brush 25 reciprocates over it. A tensioning spring 39 will be connected between the operating links 29 and 30 to urge the same to their upper position when the cleaner is not in actual operation.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention thereto, asmany minor,V changes in detail of construction may be resorted' pivoted on intermediate portions of said inexible to without departure from the spirit of the in; n

vention.

Having thus described my invention what Iv claim as new and desire to secure by Letters,.-

Patent of the United States is: .,1.'In a shoe cleaner, apair of parallel coextensive rails, a frame mounted to reciprocatey on said rails, a support on` said rails adjacent one end of the rails for a shoe, cleaning members on said frame, an inexible link pivoted at one end thereof to one of the rails at said one end of the rails, a second iniiexible link pivoted at one end to thek end of said frame remote from said one end of the rails, a handle, the other ends of `said links being concentrically pivoted to said handlev so that reciprocation of the handle reciprocates the frame on the rails and causes said cleaning members to frictionally engage the shoe on sai support.

2. In a shoe cleaner, a pair of parallel co-` extensive rails, a frame mounted to reciprocate on said rails, a support on said rails adjacent one` end of the rails for a shoe, cleaning members on said frame, an iniiexible link pivoted at one end thereof to one of the rails at said one end of the rails, a second inflexible link pivoted at one end to the end of said frame remote from said one 4 end of the rails, a handle, the other ends of said links being concentrically pivoted to said handle so that reciprocation of the handle reciprocates the frame onl the rails and causes said cleaning members to frictionally engage the shoe on said support, and means to preserve said han- `dle in vertical position comprising a pair of links having one end of each link concentrically verticallyslidably andpivotallyjmounted on said handle, the pivotal mounting of lsaid pair of links beingspaced vertically from said concentric pivotal connection of said inflexible links to said handle, and the other ends of said pair of links being 1inks. y

3. A shoey cleaner according to claim 2 and wherein said pivotal mounting of said pair of links comprises a vertical slot in said handle', a -pn slidably mounted in said slot, and said one end of each link of saidpair of links being pivotallly securedto said pin. r'

' PERCELL L. BRAKE.

REFERENCES CITED i The following references are of record inthe le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 91,975 Germany Mayll, 1897 

